Action toy



"Ap 1959 R. CRAWFORD 2,883,793

ACTION TOY Filed Jan. '1, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 7 RA: PH WCRAWFO'QD BY.

April 28, 1959 R. w. cRAwFoRp ACTION TOY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 7, 1957 'IIG,

INVENTOR. 844 PH 14! C RA WFORD an M 7 ail-a,

Arramvevs United States Patent ACTION TOY Ralph W. Crawford, East Aurora, N.Y., assignor to Fisher-Price Toys, Inc., East Aurora, N.Y.

Application January 7, 1957, Serial No. 632,892

Claims. (CI. 46-99) This invention relates generally to the amustment device art, and more specifically to a new and useful action toy for young children.

This invention is particularly concerned with action toys of the type having one or more movable members actuated by rolling the toy along a supporting surface to strike one or more of a number of musical sound producing means in a manner producing musical sounds varying as to pitch, tone or the like.

Heretofore it has been the practice to provide means for actuating the strikers both toward and away from the musical sound producing means and crosswise thereof, causing the strikers to hit different ones of the sound producing means as the toy is rolled along a supporting surface. However, such actuating means are necessarily relatively complicated, add to the cost of the toy, and present other difliculties.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide an action toy having one or more striker elements and greatly simplified means for actuating the same to strike different ones of a number of musical sound producing means, such as Xylophone bars, to vary the sound produced thereby.

Another object of this invention is to provide an action toy having one or more strikers, a number of sound producing elements, and means causing the strikers to hit different ones of said elements while moving in only one direction relative thereto.

Another object of this invention is to provide the foregoing in a toy which is durable and safe for use by very young children.

Still another object is to provide the foregoing in a toy which is of simple construction, using relatively inexpensive parts which are readily fabricated and assembled.

An action toy constructed in accord with this invention is characterized by the provision of a support having one or more strikers mounted thereon for movement relative thereto back and forth in a first direction, a platform carrying different sound producing means mounted beneath the strikers for movement relative to the support in a second direction so as to present different ones of the sound producing means to the strikers, means such as wheels mounting the toy for movement along a supporting surface, and means actuating the strikers upon such movement of the toy.

The foregoing and other objects, advantages and characterizing features of an action toy constructed in accord with this invention will become clearly apparent from the ensuing detailed description of a presently preferred embodiment thereof, taken together with the accompanying drawing illustrating such embodiment and forming a part hereof wherein like reference numerals denote like parts throughout the various views and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a presently preferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof, with certain parts broken away to show details and with different positions of the for example by means of lithographs, to resemble in v caricature an animal or the like as is known in the art. A pair of limbs 3, in this case resembling arms, are pivotally connected adjacent one end thereof to opposite sides of support 1 as by means of a pin or nail 4, whereby they are adapted to swing up and down above pivot 4 relative to support 1. At their other ends, limbs 3 carry strikers in the form of mallets 5 joined thereto as by coil springs 6, thereby providing resiliently flexible striking elements comprising the outer extremities of limbs 3.

Mallets 5 are adapted, upon pivoting of limbs 3, to strike musical sound producing means carried by platform 2. In the illustrated embodiment, such means comprise xylophone bars 7, 8, 9 and 10, each adapted to produce a musical tone of different pitch, upon being hit by mallets 5, and each suspended across a pair of spaced apart supports 11 which support them off platform 2. Bars 7, 8, 9 and 10 rest on felts 12 on the top surface of support members 11, and are loosely held in position across members 11 as by pins 13 extending through slots 14 in the bars.

Body member 1 is supported for rolling movement along a supporting surface 15 as by a pair of wheels 16 carried by an axle 17 journaled in body member 1, and platform 2 is supported for rolling movement therewith along surface 15 as by wheels 18 carried by an axle 19 journaled on platform 2 by a pair of staples 20 secured to the underside thereof. The toy is adapted to be pulled along supporting surface 15 by means such as for example a pull string 21 secured to the front surface of platform 2 as by a staple 22.

Limbs 3 are reciprocated up and down about pivot 4, to cause mallets 5 to strike bars 7, 8, 9 and 10, in response to movement of the toy along supporting surface 15, this being accomplished by means of links 23 extending along the opposite sides of body member 1 and having at their upper ends outturned flange portions 24 extending into openings in limbs 3 at points spaced forwardly of pivot 4. At their lower ends, links 23 have outwardly directed flange parts 24' overlying wheels 16 and enabling links 23 to accommodate the same, flanges 24' leading to downwardly directed flanges 25 terminating in inwardly directed flanges 26 which extend into openings in the outer side walls of wheels 16 at points spaced from axle 17. Links 23 terminate at their lower ends in flanges 27 preventing accidental removal of the links 23 from the wheels.

Thus, as wheels 16 are caused to rotate they actuate links 23 to swing limbs 3 up and down about pivot 4, thereby causing mallets 5 to strike the xylophone bars 7-10, and for greater interest the links 23 preferably are arranged to move limbs 3 out of phase, by arranging wheels 16 so that one link 23 moves upwardly while the other thereof moves downwardly, and vice versa.

As previously noted, it has been the practice also to impart to the limbs 3 a sidewise movement, causing them to move back and forth over the Xylophone bars 710 as they move up and down relative thereto. However, in a toy constructed in accord with this invention there is provided instead means for moving the platform 2 3. relative to the support 1 in a manner to present differentones'of bars 7 "'for being struck by mallets 5.

In the illustrated embodiment, this is accomplished by pivotally connecting platform 2 to support 1 by,

means of a king pin28', such" asia. nail,[which extends through the rearward. portion:of platform 2'-into an overhanging part ofbody' member 'lwhich is notched to'receivethe'platform'.. King pin 28is driventhrough platform 2 adjacent" the periphery thereof and into body.

beneathmallets 5 as "the toyis pulled EalongsurfacelS, thereby presentingdifierent ones of bars 7-40 to mallets 5 for'being struck "thereby as 'theyswing up and down.

This sidewise' pivoting of platform 2 occurs naturally and automatically because children of the age group for which such toys are intended usually pull them with a jerking, zig-za'g motion: The leading platform partakes of this motion; swinging relative to the trailing body member 1 first to one side and then to the other, as indicated by the'broken line'showingsin Fig. 1.

Pin 28 is'further supported by a link 31'loosely fitted in a lengthwise alin'ed groove 32 in the undersurface of body. 1 and the lower part ofwall 29 thereof, link 31 having. at one end an eye '33 pivotally connected to body 1 in groove 32 by a pin 34, and having'at its opposite end an eye 35 at right angles to eye 33 and slidable on pin28 between the head thereof and the undersurface of p1atform'2. Thus, link 31 provides a limited play furtherconneCtion between body member 1 and platform 2 which provides a bearing surface for platform 2 when the toy is picked up by body 1, supports the outer end of king pin 28, and in other ways reinforces the toy to better enable'it to withstand the hard usage which such toys are given.

Thus, with the construction of this invention the musical sound producingelements "swing sidewiseabout pivot 28 beneath the strikers 5 which swing only in planes generally normal thereto about pivot 4, thereby varying the tone,pitch, etc., of the sounds produced, and this is accomplished with a simple, durable and relatively inexpensivearrangernent of parts.

Accordingly, it is seen that this invention fully accom plishesits intended objects, and while only a presently preferred embodiment has been described herein it is obvious that variations and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having fully disclosed and completely described this invention, together with its mode of operation, what I claim as new is:

1. An action'toy comprising a support, a striker member pivotally connected to said support for movement about a single fixed axis, whereby said striker member is movable solely in a substantially vertical plane, a platform pivotally connected to said support for movement about a single fixed axis, whereby said platform is movable in a substantially horizontal plane, musical sound producing means carried by said platform for movement therewith relative to said support to position different portions of said musical sound producing means within the path of movement'of said striker member, a plurality of wheels mounting said support and said platform for movement over a supporting surface, and link means connected betweentone of said wheels and said striker member and providing the sole means of actuating said striker member upon movement of said support and platform over a supporting surface;

2. Apparatus as defined in claimul wherein said support is provided with a notched corner, said platform being reccived within said notched corner, the platform being pivotally connected to said support by a headed king pin extending through the reanportion of the platform into theoverhanging part. of said support, and areinforcing:

link means loosely connected adjacent one end tosaid king pin and pivotally connected adjacent the other end thereof to said support.

3. An action toy comprising a support, a pair of strikermernbers pivotally connected to said support for movement about a single fixed axis, each of said striker members being movable solely in r a substantially vertical plane, .a platform pivotally connected to said support for movement about a single fixed axis whereby said" platform is movable in a substantially horizontal plane, musical sound producing means carried bysaid platformfor movement therewith relative to said supportto position different portions of said musical sound producing means within the path of .movement ofwsaid striker members, a plurality of wheels mountingysaid support and said platform for. movement over a supporting surface, a first linktmeansn connected between one of said wheels and one of said striker members, a second link 4. Apparatus as defined in claim 3 whereinsaid wheels include front and rear wheels, the rear wheels cornprising a pair' of spaced wheels, one. of-said striker members being connected by said first link means .to

one of said rear Wheels, and the other of .said. striker. members being connected by said second linknmeans to the otherof said a rear wheels 5. Apparatusas defined in claima4. wherein each=of said rear wheels is mounted for rotationabout an'axis,

the connection between said: first and .secondlink means with the associated Wheels'being pacedfrom theaxis of rotation of the associated Wheel.

References Cited in the file of this patent- UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,481,596 Fletcher 'et a1." 1311;122, 1924 2,089,885 Fisher Aug; 10, 1937 D. 161,417 Brice -7 Jan. 2, ,1951 

